KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 6 – The Construction Contract Management (CCM) Industrial Visit and Academic Seminar, held from 4 to 6 December 2025, reflects Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s (UTM) ongoing commitment to practice-integrated postgraduate education, strategic industry engagement, and professional capacity building in construction law and dispute resolution. Organised by the Master’s in Construction Contract Management (CCM) programme under the Faculty of Built Environment and Surveying (FABU), the programme was designed not merely as an academic visit but as a platform for long-term institutional engagement, curriculum enrichment, and potential strategic collaboration with key dispute-resolution stakeholders.
The programme commenced with an academic and industry visit to the Kuala Lumpur High Court (Construction Court), where postgraduate students and academic staff were exposed to live construction litigation proceedings. This rare experiential learning opportunity strengthened students’ understanding of how construction disputes are adjudicated within the Malaysian judicial system.
The subsequent engagement with Judicial Commissioner Rajes Raghavji and court officers provided valuable insights into case management, judicial reasoning, and contemporary challenges in construction litigation, reinforcing the relevance of doctrinal learning within real adjudicative contexts.
From a university perspective, this engagement demonstrates UTM’s pedagogical emphasis on court-centred experiential learning, enhancing graduates’ readiness for professional practice in dispute resolution, claims management, and construction law advisory roles.
A key highlight of the programme was the academic visit to the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC), Malaysia’s premier institution for arbitration, adjudication, and mediation, particularly in construction disputes.
Participants were briefed on AIAC’s institutional framework, procedural mechanisms, and emerging trends in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), alongside career pathways and professional development opportunities for construction and legal professionals.
Beyond student exposure, the engagement served as a strategic exploratory platform for UTM and AIAC to identify potential areas of academic–industry collaboration, including professional training and capacity-building initiatives, guest lectures and practitioner-led seminars, joint academic and industry events, and longer-term collaboration in education, research, and professional development.
This engagement reflects UTM’s proactive approach in positioning itself as a leading academic partner in construction dispute resolution education, while opening constructive dialogue toward future institutional collaboration, subject to further discussion and mutual alignment.
The visit to PNB Merdeka 118, one of Malaysia’s most iconic mega-developments, further strengthened the programme’s applied learning objectives.
Participants were introduced to the project’s historical significance, corporate vision, procurement strategy, and construction challenges, offering real-world insights into the complexities of contract administration, risk allocation, and stakeholder coordination in large-scale developments.
This component reinforced UTM’s emphasis on contextual and industry-embedded learning, enabling students to appreciate the intersection between contractual frameworks, project delivery, and dispute avoidance in mega projects.
The programme culminated in an Academic Seminar titled “Navigating Complex Claims in Construction”, hosted at UTM Kuala Lumpur.
The seminar featured an esteemed panel of industry experts, including Jamie Duncan, Sr Naz Rahim, Ashish Chakravarti, Jason Chong Wai Zhe, Mohd Izad Ashriq Ngadiman, and Ahmad Fadzly Abdul Gani. The sessions provided practice-oriented perspectives on quantum claims, delay analysis, dispute strategies, and legal considerations, enriching academic discourse and strengthening university–industry knowledge exchange.
Overall, the CCM Industrial Visit and Academic Seminar underscores UTM’s strategic commitment to producing industry-ready postgraduate graduates, strengthening university–industry–institutional linkages, and positioning the university as a key academic contributor in construction dispute resolution education and practice.
The engagement with AIAC, in particular, marks an essential step toward exploring meaningful future collaboration, reinforcing UTM’s role in shaping competent, ethical, and professionally grounded construction contract practitioners.
